


That Morning He

by Blueez



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Randomness, Romance if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-04-17 23:39:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14200143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueez/pseuds/Blueez
Summary: Joonmyeon’s plan to make his best friend and crush, Yixing, fall for him again, suddenly encounters some unexpected misfortune, REALLY unexpected misfortune.This story is inspired by prompt #123 from the 1001 Tales Sulay Fic Fest.





	1. Chapter 1

“So, in conclusion, you’ll have a successful career. I see many opportunities for you in that field.”

Joonmyeon smirked. He lowered his head and stared attentively at the crystal ball. Although he couldn’t see anything on the glass surface, his mind could already envision the seer’s predictions. Successful academic life and later career, health and wealth. These were all the things Joonmyeon hoped that this life would be. Hearing the seer say it, reassured Joonmyeon that his efforts would be rewarded. He had a bright future ahead, and he couldn’t wait to experience it. There was only one point left he needed to hear.

“How about my love life?”

The fortuneteller nodded. She began doing those strange hand movements again. In silence, she concentrated on watching the crystal ball while Joonmyeon could already sense what she’d say. Right now things weren’t in the position Joonmyeon wanted, but come on, it was evident that he’ll be with none other than-

“You will die alone.”

Joonmyeon raised his head. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the woman in disbelief. “What?!”

“Yes, yes, I see you’re in love with this boy… He’s your age, has dimples, likes to play badminton, might cause trouble without meaning to, has a pet lizard… He and you are very close.”

Joonmyeon nodded. The seer had seen right again. That was nobody else but Zhang Yixing. Yixing, his best friend, and secret crush. He had met Yixing two years ago through their mutual friend, Baekhyun. One thing that often made Yixing stand-out was that he could be a very straightforward and upfront person. Sometimes his bluntness would cause misunderstandings and unintentional hurt feelings because although most people said they valued sincerity, Yixing’s honesty could sometimes be _too much_ honesty. Joonmyeon found it endearing, however, a characteristic of Yixing that most of the times made him chuckle or smile. So, it wasn’t odd that Yixing had directly told Joonmyeon he had feelings for him, but it had been surprising. Joonmyeon had not seen it coming, Yixing falling for him. Unfortunately, at that time Joonmyeon had been dating who would later be known as the what-the-hell-was-I-thinking guy. Therefore, he had rejected Yixing, who only nodded meekly and said he understood it and would never bring up the topic again. Still, Yixing and Joonmyeon remained to be friends and even managed to become best friends as time had passed.

“But you’re afraid to tell him your feelings… And that silent will be your doom, Kim Joonmyeon.”

Of course, he was afraid. He couldn’t pinpoint when he had begun seeing Yixing differently, but he knew that it had happened. He knew that being with Yixing every day made him happy. That hearing his voice and laugh were one of the most beautiful melodies. That whenever Yixing complimented him, put an arm around his shoulder, gave him a hug or a kiss on the cheek, his heart would flutter, and his stomach would fill with flying butterflies. Sometimes Joonmyeon even got a little jealous when he saw one of their friends getting too close to Yixing. It should only be him that Yixing should offer his lap to sit on when the bus or the subway was full, not Baekhyun, Jongdae, or Minseok. So, yes Joonmyeon was in love with his best friend. But he couldn’t voice out his feelings yet. Yixing had fulfilled his promised and never brought up the topic again. Yixing had even dated some people after that. Maybe he had gotten over Joonmyeon, maybe he hadn’t. Either way, Joonmyeon didn’t dare to say something first. Knowing Yixing, he would probably flat out say he didn’t like Joonmyeon anymore. That was who Yixing was. How many times hadn’t Joonmyeon heard Yixing reject someone who he wasn’t interested in dating? Joonmyeon feared he’ll be the next. Their timing hadn’t been right. But Joonmyeon thought he could fix that. If he and Yixing continued spending more time together (only the two), eventually, Yixing would see what he had seen in him before, and so, Yixing’s old feelings would return. Plus, Joonmyeon had a plan. Although, sometimes his attempts were not so subtle... Like walking around without a shirt from time to time in his apartment. But hey, he was doing his best.

“Your crush will meet someone very special soon. And while you keep pining for him in silence, they will fall in love for a long time… So long that your chance to be with him won’t ever come again. You’ll keep waiting forever, Kim Joonmyeon.”

Joonmyeon raised an eyebrow. He huffed. Yixing? Meeting someone special? Impossible. In all the casual dates Yixing had had before, it had never developed into something serious. Recently, Yixing hadn’t even been going out on any dates. And Joonmyeon thought that his plan was indeed working, it was only a matter of time before Yixing confessed to him again. After all, Yixing had rejected someone’s invitation to his faculty’s anniversary dinner because he had plans with Joonmyeon… That was a sign! Yixing had put Joonmyeon first before one evening with some wannabe giant, mullet wearing, musician. It was just a matter of time before Yixing voiced out what he felt for Joonmyeon again, and they would be together forever. This seer must be mistaken. She was mistaken, she was nuts!

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Joonmyeon said, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t going to sit there anymore and hear whatever nonsense that woman would say. Joonmyeon stood up from his chair and brought out the twenty-five thousand wons from his wallet. What a waste of time and money, he thought. This was the last time he listened to any of Baekhyun’s ridiculous ideas.

Just as Joonmyeon handed the seer the money, she held his arm with her other hand. “For twenty-thousand more, I’ll give you something that’d make your crush fall head over heels for you.”

“Really? What?” Joonmyeon said uninterested.

“A love potion. It effects are instant and guaranteed. It will make all your troubles go away, and you’ll be with him forever.”

Perfect. Joonmyeon first instinct had been right. Earlier he had been too naïve to believe in the woman’s ‘abilities.’ These people were just charlatans. He rolled his eyes yet again. “Listen, lady, I-”

“It’s effective. Believe me,” she said. A smirk appeared on her face, “And if it doesn’t work, I’ll give you back your money and some more for the disappointment.”

Well, what harm could there be in giving her some extra twenty-thousand wons? Perhaps she needed the money more than him. And Joonmyeon liked to believe that fate would reward him for every good deed he did. “Fine,” he said.

She finally let go of Joonmyeon’s arm and stood up to search in her drawers. Joonmyeon grabbed more money and put it on the table.

“This is it,” the seer said, giving Joonmyeon a beautiful glass bottle with an intricate pattern, there was a red sparkling liquid inside. “Make sure to give him one spoon for seven days straight. And on the eight, you have to kiss him. The moment you kiss him he’ll…”

Joonmyeon’s brain didn’t capture the rest, he merely nodded along to the woman’s nonsense, but he stared at the glass bottle in his hands. It was a beautiful looking and fancy bottle. He could empty its content and gift it to his mother, who liked to collect these types of old junk. At least his money hadn’t been to complete waste.

Not so long after, Joonmyeon and the seer finally left that dimly lit room and stepped out into the hallway. She guided Joonmyeon and his friends out of her house now that everyone’s sessions were done. After saying their goodbyes and some final comments, Joonmyeon, Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Minseok got in the car and went to pick up Yixing.

“So, what you got in there, Joonmyeon? What did she say to you?” Baekhyun eagerly asked, peeking from the passenger seat.

Jongdae, who sat next to Joonmyeon, took the bottle from Joonmyeon’s grasp before he could even reply. “Amore, an elixir for the lovelorn!” Jongdae read out loud. He looked up from the bottle and shook his head. “Your plan to seduce Yixing isn’t working, so you bought a love potion? Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Really? Let me see,” Baekhyun said. Jongdae tossed him the bottle.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jongdae,” Joonmyeon retorted. “It’s not like that! You know those stuff don’t work. I only bought it for the bottle. It’s pretty, and my mom’s gonna like it. And I didn’t believe anything she said. She was wrong about Yixing and me. Those people are swindlers. Nothing was true. This is the last time I listen to you, Baekhyun.”

“Hey, she’s good, okay? She predicted I might have a near-death experience,” Baekhyun said, “Don’t you guys remember what happened a few months back?”

Joonmyeon and Jongdae stared at each other.

“Yeah, your car ran out of gas on the highway,” Jongdae explained, “You called us, and we went to pick you up. Big deal. I don’t think that counts as a near-death experience. It’s not even experiencing.”

“Of course, it is! What if my phone had run out of battery? What if none of you could have come? Huh? Can’t you think about that? Without food and water, I would have starved to death, not before I froze to death.”

“You were like four kilometers away from civilization, and it was summer,” Minseok added.

“You guys will never understand what I went through until you’re in my shoes. Just wait for it, Baekhyun won’t be there to save you.”

Before any of the friends could say something, the car stopped. The door opened, and Joonmyeon moved to the middle seat to give Yixing some space. After some greetings, quick questions about Yixing’s evening at his part-time job, and once everyone was buckled up, Minseok began driving.

“Guys, did you see? Yixing is not dressed up!” Baekhyun complained, “What happened to your costume?”

“My costume didn’t reach here on time. But I am dressed up,” Yixing replied, “Don’t you see? I’m a vampire. I’m wearing a cape.”

“What kind of vampire wears a denim jacket, a red hoodie, and black jeans underneath a cape?” Jongdae questioned.

“Eh, have you ever heard of Edward Cullen?”

Joonmyeon laughed at Yixing’s answer. But Yixing did have a point there, he could pass a modern-day vampire. With his black hair styled down and killer dimples, Yixing was the cutest vampire of the night.

So, why did Yixing need a costume? Because tonight the group was attending a costume party hosted by one of Baekhyun’s many friends. With finals just around the corner, the friends decided to have one night out before studying like no tomorrow. It was agreed that all of them would dress up as something. Which explained why Jongdae was wearing a Gudetama onesie, Baekhyun dressed up as crime lord from ‘The Outlaws,’ Minseok was a spy from ‘Kingsman,’ and Joonmyeon was clad in a red basketball uniform from ‘Slam Dunk.’ Yixing was supposed to be a Super Saiyan, but it looked like he would go as a vampire instead.

“I guess you’ll be the only one embarrassed when everyone but you at the party has a costume,” Baekhyun said.

“I can live with it.” Yixing smiled. He focused his gaze on Joonmyeon. “Your costume looks good, Joon! But aren’t you cold? That basketball jersey and those shorts don’t seem warm enough.” Yixing worriedly stared at Joonmyeon.

He probably would be cold when they left the warmth of the car. But the costume had been strategically chosen so Yixing could see what lovely toned calves and arms Joonmyeon had. It seemed to be working because Yixing kept staring at him. Joonmyeon inwardly smiled. Besides, Yixing worrying about his well-being was a bonus point. “I have my long coat and sweatpants in the back trunk, just in case. But it’s okay, Xing.”

Yixing smiled at him again. “If you do feel cold, just say the word, I can give you my jacket, or hoodie, or cape. Just say ask for it.”

Joonmyeon nodded. Quite frankly he wouldn’t mind asking for Yixing to take off all his clothes… But that would be more appropriate on another chance.

“Here’s your bottle, Joonmyeon,” Baekhyun interrupted them.

“Thanks,” Joonmyeon spoke through his teeth. As expected Yixing reached closer to see what Joonmyeon had in his hands, but Baekhyun had actually peeled off the label, to Joonmyeon’s relief.

“Cool bottle,” Yixing said. “Oh right, you guys went to see that seer tonight. Did you get that there? What is it for? What did she say?”

Joonmyeon gulped. “This? No, it’s just a fancy way to store my energy drink,” he laughed nervously. “She didn’t say much to me. But Baekhyun and the others have way more interesting things to tell, right Baek?”

Baekhyun peeked again and smirked. Obviously, he, they, would want something in return for their silence. Still, Baekhyun and the rest began telling what the fortuneteller had said to them earlier.

Sometime later, the five friends arrived at their destination. Yixing walked close behind Joonmyeon to keep him warm, not that Joonmyeon minded that proximity at all. They walked to the door and knocked. Baekhyun’s friend, Jongin, welcomed them to the house where the party took place. Pop music was playing in the background. Some students were dancing, others talked, a few were making-out.

After introducing themselves and all, Minseok gasped, “Oh, my god.”

“Baek, didn’t you say this was a costume party?” Jongdae said, “Why is nobody besides us wearing one?”

Jongin chuckled. The only thing he was wearing was a headband with bear ears, other than that, he looked stylish in his casual outfit. “We always say that, but nobody really takes it seriously and puts in much effort around here. Don’t worry, though, you guys look great!” Jongin grinned at them. “We have snacks and drinks over there. And there’s food in the kitchen. Feel free to grab anything. _Mi casa es_ _ _su_ casa_.”

When Jongin had left the group of friends on their own, the guys glared at Baekhyun.

“You know what, I think he might have mentioned it was optional.” Baekhyun pushed back his sunglasses, laughing awkwardly. He scratched his head. “I’m not sure, I was too excited when he said costume party, so I didn’t pay much attention… But you heard him, we look great, don’t we?”

“Baekhyun!” Minseok said, “Seriously, this is the last time we listen to you.” Although that was like the nth time they had said it.

Even if they were the only ones with real costumes, Joonmyeon didn’t mind as long as Yixing saw him. He simply shrugged when they waited for his reaction.

“Well, look at that, Edward Cullen over here is actually the most suitably dressed of us. Ironic,” Jongdae said before walking towards the living room to grab a drink.

“Wait for me, Dae,” Minseok said. He handed Yixing the car keys before going after Jongdae. Yixing usually never drank. Not only did he have a very low alcohol tolerance, but he also didn’t like the taste. So, it was always Yixing who was their designated driver.

Yixing and Joonmyeon also made their way in the living room. Most of the party they stuck together. They danced together, only a little because the choice of music wasn’t exactly what Yixing preferred, or boring had he said. But at least he had been the only one to dance with Yixing. Whenever they talked to someone new or a few familiar faces, they stood side by side. As time passed, Joonmyeon hadn’t drunk much, just enough to be a little tipsy. He disliked the sensation of being hungover the next day. It had occurred once, and after that, he said never again.

At some point in the night, Joonmyeon had gone to the kitchen to get some food. He stumbled upon one of his old friends from high school. Thinking that Yixing would be alright with Baekhyun and the rest, Joonmyeon got immersed in the conversation with his friend, catching up and more while he ate. The moment the conversation ended, he decided to walk back to the living room. 

What did he see? Baekhyun conversing with a girl. Minseok chatting with a group of people. Jongdae was nowhere to be seen in the living room. And Yixing? Yixing was still sitting on the couch, but this time he was with some guy, looking all chummy and happy. Instant jealousy spread all over Joonmyeon. Yixing usually flat-out rejected people hitting on him if he wasn’t interested. But now, this time, Yixing kept talking to that guy. Could this mean Yixing was interested too? Oh no, Joonmyeon thought. He wanted to go there, grab Yixing’s hand, and take him away from whoever that not-at-all-good-looking dude was.

Joonmyeon didn’t do anything. Why should he make a scene when he and Yixing were only best friends? It would be stupid, childish and unjustified. And Yixing wouldn’t like that. But Joonmyeon had to put a stop to it, to them. Because Yixing was laughing and having a good time with whoever that buffoon was. Suddenly, the seer’s words came through Joonmyeon’s head. Yixing would meet someone very special. Yixing would fall in love with him. Joonmyeon would lose his chance. He almost screamed. Okay, he was overthinking. Come on, it was ridiculous. That woman’s words couldn’t be real. So, what? Yixing was talking with some guy at a party. Big deal. Nothing would happen. It was cool… Joonmyeon quickly went over to grab another drink before pouring it in one go.

“Hey Joon, are you okay?” someone said beside him. Joonmyeon looked up and saw Jongdae standing there.

Joonmyeon grabbed Jongdae by the onesie and shook him forward. “Why did you leave Yixing alone? Look, he’s talking to some guy!”

Jongdae got himself free from Joonmyeon’s grasp. He frowned, then stared in Yixing’s direction. “Wow, they’re really hitting it off.”

“Who’s that guy?!”

“He? He’s Hu Yitian! Jongin said he’s an exchange student from China. His Korean is not so advanced, though. So, I said, my friend Yixing is also from China and can speak Chinese. We introduced them to each other, and they began talking and stuff.”

“So, it was _you_ who thought it was a good idea to introduce them to each other?” Joonmyeon sent him a death glare.

“Calm down man, I’m sure Yixing is only being nice.”

“Jongdae!” Joonmyeon snapped, “Have you seen him? He looks ultra-model like!”

Jongdae grinned. “Actually, I did hear he works as a part-time model in China. He’s really handsome. I mean, nobody can resist those visuals. Isn’t it great that he’s also gay?”

No, it was not. Yitian’s face was flawless, with neatly styled hair, good-looking body and he was much taller than Yixing and Joonmyeon. That only made Joonmyeon pour another drink on his glass. Okay, so the guy was a model from China, probably had many things in common with Yixing, and could whisper a bunch of sweets nothings in a language Joonmyeon wouldn’t be able to understand. Fuck, Joonmyeon cursed to himself.

“Why are you guys ogling at Yixing?” Baekhyun appeared at the scene.

“We’re not ogling, I’m just looking out for Yixing,” Joonmyeon defended himself.

“How did it go with that girl?” Jongdae asked.

Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders. “She had a boyfriend.”

Jongdae huffed, “Funny, isn’t it? That’s like the second girl who says that.”

“People can have boyfriends, Jongdae.”

“Or maybe, it’s because that costume makes you look lame. I told you the fake hair extensions and beard would-”

Joonmyeon sighed, “Concentrate on the important matter. Help me get Yixing away from that guy before they fall in love and start dating!”

“Joonmyeon is right,” Baekhyun nodded. “We can’t lose Yixing to a new boyfriend. He’s the one who usually drives us home after partying.”

“And he brings us food from his job, and cooks for us,” Jongdae added.

Joonmyeon rolled his eyes. He had a much more valuable reason to not lose Yixing, but as long as those two helped him figure out what to do because Joonmyeon had nothing, he could ignore that.

After having caressed his chin for a while, Baekhyun snapped his fingers and came up with a suggestion. “I got it! Jongdae, go flirt with him.”

“Believe me, I want to,” Jongdae smirked, looking at Yitian. “If only I spoke Chinese.” He sighed. “His Korean it’s far too basic, he wouldn’t understand my moves.”

“True… Then again, your moves aren’t all that great.”

“Hey, look who’s talking? You couldn’t even get that girl’s number.”

“I told you, she said she had a boyfriend!”

“Focus!” Joonmyeon intervened.

“Oh!” Jongdae raised his hand momentarily. “I know, go sit on Yixing’s lap. He doesn’t mind offering his lap for us to sit at. Just walk casually, make yourself comfortable on his lap, and put an arm around his shoulder. What more signal to send to Mister Perfect Face that Yixing is your man?”

Could Jongdae have a point there? It did sound like a reasonable idea… Okay, that was the alcohol talking. They weren’t on the subway nor the buss, and there was a free space next to Yixing on the couch. Clearly, Yixing would be taken aback by Joonmyeon’s actions. “Really helpful, Jongdae. You both are oh so brilliant.”

Baekhyun huffed. “No, you know what Joonmyeon? This is your problem and your fault!”

“My fault?”

“Yes, if you hadn’t been such a wuss and confessed earlier, you might not be about to lose Yixing. You two might have been together and would have come here tonight in some silly couple costume. And! You might have been able to go and freely sit on Yixing’s lap while he talked to Mister Perfect Face.”

Joonmyeon took a sip of his drink. Baekhyun’s words stung. Perhaps his plan to make Yixing confess to him again wasn’t all that bright. Perhaps this was his own fault. He should have been more honest, more upfront like Yixing was. Joonmyeon felt a wet sensation in his eyes. He raised his plastic cup and drank some more again. If Yixing was going to score tonight, Joonmyeon didn’t want to remember it. He didn’t want to wake up tomorrow alone-

“Joonmyeon, you do realize they’re only talking?” Minseok jumped into the conversation out of nowhere, startling the three friends.

“When did you get here?” Baekhyun asked, holding his chest.

Minseok laughed. “I’ve been standing behind you for a while. You guys speak too loudly. Be thankful there’s music. Otherwise, everyone across the room would have heard you. Besides, Yixing is our ride home, he wouldn’t leave us here to go with some guy… I think.”

To Joonmyeon’s good luck, Yixing stood up from the couch. After looking around the room, Yixing found them and began walking towards them. Joonmyeon quickly blinked until his eyes no longer felt watery, and his vision wasn’t blurred. A smiling Yixing stood in front of him now. Then Yixing squinted his eyes while he stared at Joonmyeon. Nervously, Joonmyeon waited for what Yixing would say. His mind haunted him with unreasonable scenarios. Was Yixing about to…

“Oh Joon, you got something stuck between your teeth,” Yixing said at last.

Joonmyeon heard the others chuckle while he quickly took out his phone, put on the front camera and removed whatever it was. “We’ve been talking for minutes, and none of you could mention anything?”

The others mumbled excuses in response.

“Is it okay if I drive Yitian back to his dorm? Jongin said he could stay here, but he says he’ll be more comfortable sleeping in his own bed. I can drive us back home when I return, but I know it’d be pretty late by then. Do you mind?”

Everyone stared at Joonmyeon for an answer. The other three left the decision to Joonmyeon’s judgment. And while Joonmyeon’s first instinct was to say no, he knew it would be too rude. He knew Yixing would be disappointed in him. So, Joonmyeon nodded meekly. “Sure, it’s fine by me. You guys?”

The other three instantly nodded and agreed with Joonmyeon. Yixing gave them a broad smile while he thanked them. Yixing raised his hand and motioned Yitian to come. Yitian was probably one head taller than all of them. Up-close his features were even more flawless and impressive. With a very noticeable Korean accent, yet melodic voice, Yitian introduced himself. Even while shaking hands, Joonmyeon could feel how soft and tender Yitian’s hands were. Lucky bastard. And after Yixing explained to Yitian something in Chinese, he also said thank you to them in Korean.

But before Yixing and Yitian left, Yixing said, “Do you wanna come with us Joonmyeon? I know the loud music for a prolonged time usually irritates your hearing.”

Oh thank god, Joonmyeon thought. He feared that Yixing and Mr. Perfect Face would do something, and he wouldn’t be able to impede it. If Joonmyeon were there as a third wheel, then they wouldn’t do anything. Hopefully. Joonmyeon nodded and proceeded to say goodbye to the host and left the party with them. Standing underneath the doorframe, Yixing took off his denim jacket and put it on Joonmyeon. “So, you won’t freeze,” Yixing said, smiling and showing his dimples, which only made Joonmyeon’s heart skip a beat.

Yitian sat on the passenger seat while Joonmyeon sat on the back seat behind Yixing. During the car ride, Yixing tried to include Joonmyeon in the conversation about university life and such. Therefore he translated things for both, while also giving his opinion in both languages. Meanwhile, Joonmyeon attempted to keep an eye on his rival. Yes, rival, because Joonmyeon wouldn’t go down without a fight. No, he wouldn’t. Things might have seen lost back then, but after getting some fresh air and calmness, he knew he had to fight for his man. Joonmyeon hoped Yixing would become his man.

Finally, they arrived at Yitian’s building. Oddly, before leaving the car, Yitian glanced at Joonmyeon and gave him a smile before saying something to Yixing. Joonmyeon didn’t understand what Yitian said, neither did he understood Yixing’s answer, and Yixing didn’t translate it either. Truly suspicious, but Joonmyeon didn’t want to appear too intrusive, so he let it be.

“Do you want to sit in the front?” Yixing asked once Yitian, finally, had left.

Joonmyeon nodded and went to sit in the front, carrying his ‘love potion’ with him. Yixing hit the road again to go pick up their friends.

“So, did you have a good time, Joon?” Yixing asked.

“It was okay. There were some interesting people. And I ran up to an old classmate… You and Mi-Yitian seemed to have fun.”

“Yeah, he’s great,” Yixing said, “He actually has lived in Changsha for some time. We talked a lot about that.”

Another thing to add to the list of Yixing’s and Mr. Perfect Face’s things in common. Yixing had lived in South Korea for over ten years now, even though he visited China often, it must have been interesting to meet someone who had lived there too. Ugh, Joonmyeon though. Still, he had more advantage being Yixing’s best friend, and maybe, future boyfriend. He wouldn’t lose. No, starting tomorrow he’ll gather the courage necessary to ask Yixing out properly. Yes, Joonmyeon promised himself that the whole car ride.

It was the wee hours when everyone arrived at Minseok’s and Joonmyeon’s shared apartment. Their apartment was the biggest one among the five friends, so most of the times they would sleep over there after a night out.

Jongdae, Yixing, and Baekhyun slept in the living room, while Minseok and Joonmyeon in their respective bedrooms. Joonmyeon was making himself comfortable on his bed when Yixing talked through his door.

“Joon, I think I’m gonna head back to my place. Jongdae and Baekhyun are already snoring on the couches, and Minseok instantly fell asleep after getting on the bed.”

That meant Yixing had nowhere to sleep at. Minseok had two mattresses so they would take out the extra one for Yixing. Joonmyeon instantly got up and went to open the door. “Don’t go,” he said, “It’s late, and you’re tired.”

Yixing showed him a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. I’ll drive home safely.”

But Joonmyeon didn’t agree. He held Yixing’s hand, dragged Yixing into his room and closed the door. “You can sleep here, Xing. I don’t mind.” Joonmyeon got on the bed again, underneath the covers, and left some space for Yixing to join. He hoped Yixing would join him.

Yixing thought about it for a while, but in the end, he jumped on the bed next to Joonmyeon. “Thanks, Joon,” Yixing whispered before turning around and turning off the lamp on the nightstand.

Having Yixing sleeping next to him made Joonmyeon smile. Boy, wasn’t he thankful Yixing had listened, and Yixing was in his bed, not Mr. Perfect Face. This was progressing in a beneficial direction. With a fast-beating heart, Joonmyeon closed his eyes and went to sleep. Hopefully, soon they would have more reasons to share a bed together.

The next day, it was the late morning when Joonmyeon woke up. He woke up to an empty bed. But he knew Yixing would often wake up before everyone else and cook for them. They always told him it wasn’t necessary, but Yixing did it anyways. Joonmyeon had a slight headache from last night. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Another thing Yixing usually did, only for him, was to leave him a glass of water and aspirins. However, when Joonmyeon looked at his nightstand, this time there was nothing. It was okay, though, Yixing didn’t have to do such tasks for Joonmyeon.

He got up from his bed. Last night he hadn’t changed from his basketball uniform. So, now he felt sweaty and sticky. He grabbed a fresh set of clothes and went to take a quick shower. Minutes later, Joonmyeon came out from the bathroom feeling refreshed and revitalized. He made his way to the kitchen. Jongdae and Baekhyun were still sound asleep in the living room, but he knew the moment the fresh smell of breakfast appeared, they’ll wake up. As Joonmyeon walked past the dining table, he stopped when something caught his attention. The ‘love potion’ was open, and there was an empty glass next to it. That was odd. He wondered if any of those two dorks had drunk it during the night. Who knew what might be in that red liquid. He hoped they’ll be fine.

Joonmyeon stepped inside the kitchen, but Yixing wasn’t there. He hadn’t been there making breakfast like he usually did. Perhaps something had happened, and Yixing had needed to go. Joonmyeon was just about to go get his phone from his room and call Yixing when an unfamiliar noise stopped him. It had come from behind the kitchen counter.

“Yixing?” he called but got no answer except the same high-pitched sound.

Joonmyeon took careful steps to the kitchen counter. He screamed. Loudly. Why? Because on the kitchen floor laid Yixing’s clothes… And peeking while wearing the t-shirt Yixing had worn last night, a baby smiled at him. A little chubby baby with black hair, a familiar face structure, and deep indentations sinking in his cheeks that reassured Joonmyeon’s crazy thought: that baby was none other than Yixing.


	2. Chapter 2

“Shut up!” Jongdae shouted from the living room.

Joonmyeon stopped screaming, not because Jongdae had told him to, but because he had run out of breath. He inhaled and exhaled as he stared at the baby on the floor. The baby…Yixing?

Impossible, Joonmyeon thought. He rubbed his eyes, yet the baby in front of him didn’t disappear. Joonmyeon stared at the child with amazement, wide eyes and an open mouth. He must be going insane. Or rather, he must be dreaming. Yes, it must be a dream because there was no possible, rational, believable, explanation of how a twenty-three-year-old Yixing could have transformed into a baby out of nowhere. He might have drunk yesterday, but this was not possible… Right?

“What happened, Joonmyeon?” Minseok asked, startling Joonmyeon on his spot. “Why do you look like that?” He yawned, and he stretched his arms while waiting for Joonmyeon’s response.

However, Joonmyeon was still too thunderstruck to even say something. He couldn’t stop staring at baby Yixing with a shocked expression on his face. So, he only raised his hand and pointed down.

Minseok took some steps until he stood next to Joonmyeon and then stopped short. “Holy moly,” Minseok gasped, he covered his mouth with one hand while the other squeezed Joonmyeon’s arm. “Is that?”

“Yes!” Joonmyeon said, nodding his head.

“But-but, how?” Minseok whispered.

“I don’t know!” Joonmyeon said exasperatedly, that was what he had been trying to figure out these past minutes. “I woke up, and he was already like this.”

The baby, as if he was aware of their conversation, kept staring at them and smiled. Oddly, the more Joonmyeon looked at him, the more he believed in the bizarreness of the situation: that was Yixing.

“There’s gotta be some explanation.” Minseok squinted his eyes while he looked around the kitchen. “Wait a minute… Are you sure this isn’t a prank? What if Yixing is hidden somewhere, filming our reactions to this?” Minseok gasped again. “What if that’s his son?”

Joonmyeon frowned. “Minseok, Yixing’s right in front of us.”

“But think about it, Joonmyeon. That’s the only logical explanation. What if this is Yixing’s ‘unique’ way of introducing his son? I mean, don’t you remember how he introduced T-rex to us? If he did that for his bearded dragon, surely he could do this for his son.”

Oh, Joonmyeon did remember. Yixing too had some slightly eccentric ideas from time to time (which explained how he and Baekhyun had met). And let’s just say T-rex’s introduction had involved a hot air balloon. But there was a significant flaw with Minseok’s suggestion. Yixing having a child? Please. That was impossible.

“Yixing, it’s over. Come out. We know. This is the son you’ve been keeping away from us all this time.”

“Yixing doesn’t have a son!”

“Maybe he had reasons not to tell us earlier. But it’s okay Yixing, we don’t mind.”

Minseok kept defending his standpoint of why that baby was Yixing’s son while Joonmyeon argued that Yixing was not living a secret life, neither did he have a wife and son, and he didn’t fly every summer back to Changsha to visit them… That wasn’t true! As crazy as it sounded, Joonmyeon believed the child had to be Yixing himself. He looked exactly like the baby pictures Yixing had shown him. Joonmyeon and Minseok were too immersed in their debate, they hadn’t heard a third person arrived at the kitchen.

“Guys! What does a man gotta do to get some sleep over here?” Jongdae whined. “Could you please be any louder?”

Minseok and Joonmyeon looked Jongdae’s way, who didn’t seem amused to have been woken up.

“Yixing has a son!”

“No, he doesn’t. I’m telling you, he’s the baby!”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Jongdae said, looking confused and not less annoyed. He walked forward until he suddenly stopped when the baby came into his view. Yixing let out another laugh just like earlier when he noticed Joonmyeon. Jongdae’s mouth fell open. His reaction? Bolt out of the kitchen while screaming Baekhyun’s name. Not one minute later, Jongdae dragged along with him a drowsy Baekhyun.

“What? What? Why did you wake me up?” Baekhyun complained as they approached Minseok and Joonmyeon.

“Look! It’s Yixing. He’s a baby!” Jongdae said amused.

“Oh, my god,” Baekhyun exclaimed when he saw Yixing. He crouched down and did what neither Joonmyeon nor Minseok had dared to do yet, approach baby Yixing. He began caressing the baby and cooing him, who in response laughed and smiled back. After all, Baekhyun was studying to become a kindergarten teacher, he knew more about babies than the other three combined. “It really is Yixing, aren’t you cutie?” Baekhyun said, pinching Yixing’s cheek.

“Isn’t it more reasonable that’s his son?” Minseok questioned.

“Come on, Min. Those dimples, that hair, the thick lower lip and the lack of eyebrows are dead giveaways,” Jongdae said, who had also squatted down to pat Yixing.

“You’re all crazy. But okay, let’s assume that’s Yixing. How in the world did that even happen?” Minseok asked again.

There just weren’t any coherent, believable explanations. How could Yixing have turned into a baby? Could this be real? Yet the proof of it happening was right there. Baekhyun and Jongdae were playing with him, Yixing was physically real, a baby. And the more Joonmyeon looked at him, the more he believed this was real. It had happened. But the question remained, how and why? What had happened after Joonmyeon and Yixing had gone to sleep last night? Or was it this morning, after-

“The potion,” Joonmyeon mumbled, suddenly remembering what he had seen earlier. Now he ran out and went to grab the love potion. “Yixing must have drunk this,” Joonmyeon said when he returned. “Maybe that’s why.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Minseok mumbled.

“Wasn’t he supposed to fall in love with you, then?” Jongdae asked, “It’s a love potion.”

“Exactly! So maybe that’s not what it does. She must have tricked me. She fooled me!”

“Didn’t you read the instructions?” Baekhyun intervened, “‘Failure to administrate the recommended dose could lead to secondary effects.’ You must read carefully, Joonmyeon. And Yixing drank like half of it.”

“But you removed the label and Yixing thought it was some energy drink,” Jongdae said.

“Still, this is Joonmyeon’s fault. He should have put it away before something like this happened,” Baekhyun concluded, shrugging his shoulders.

So that stupid love potion did not only work, but it had also transformed Yixing into a baby. How great! Just what Joonmyeon needed right now, Yixing back into wearing diapers and having a snotty nose. He wanted to scream in frustration. “I don’t care whose fault it is, we have to turn him back to normal. Did the instructions say anything about how to reverse the secondary effects?”

“No… But I know, we could visit my fortune-teller. She must definitely know how to bring him back. Although I suggest, we first get this boy some clothes and diapers, right Xing-Xing?” Baekhyun said, making Yixing voice something incomprehensible yet cute again.

What other option was there? They couldn’t simply go to a hospital and say: ‘Hey, this baby was our friend, turn him back into an adult!’ Who in their right minds would believe that? Besides, what if they took Yixing away and did some scary experiments on him? Joonmyeon didn’t want any of that. He won’t risk putting Yixing into any danger. Therefore, he nodded to yet another one of Baekhyun’s ideas. “Okay, we’ll do that. How old do you think he is?”

Baekhyun raised Yixing to stand up. Surprisingly, Yixing could stand on his feet and even walk on his own. Baekhyun carried Yixing in his arms while he continued examining him. “I’ll say somewhere between fifteen to eighteen months.”

“In human years please,” Jongdae said.

“One and a half year. More or less.”

“Our neighbor has a daughter that age, maybe she can help us,” Joonmyeon said.

But just then a phone alarm rang. Jongdae searched in Yixing’s jeans that were on the floor and brought out the ringing phone. “It’s a reminder… ‘Give T-rex parasite medicine,’” Jongdae read. “Aww, I didn’t know T-rex was sick. We should go check on him.”

“Jongdae, I think we have bigger problems here than a sick lizard,” Joonmyeon said, pointing at baby Yixing, who was pulling Baekhyun’s hair extensions.

“I don’t know Joonmyeon, a sick lizard sounds much more logical than any of this,” Minseok commented, clearly still quite skeptical about the whole situation.

“If T-rex dies, it will be your fault.” Jongdae pointed at Joonmyeon, frowning.

Joonmyeon sighed. “Fine. Take the car and Yixing’s keys and go check on it. Then come back here, and you’ll drive us to that witch’s house.”

Jongdae grinned before doing just that, while Minseok went to take a shower and see if he could wake up from this ‘surrealistic dream experience.’

Luckily, Joonmyeon’s neighbor, Yuri, was at home. She was surprised when she saw baby Yixing in Baekhyun’s arms, not due to recognizing him as Joonmyeon thought at first, but one, because of Baekhyun’s appearance (traces of his fake beard had fallen out), and two, because of the long shirt Yixing wore. Joonmyeon, though, came up with a quick response to her questions: Yixing, or ‘Xingyi,’ was their friend’s baby, who they were babysitting. But earlier his clothes had gotten dirty and were still in the washing machine, on top of that they had run out of diapers just now. Apparently, the explanation worked because Yuri was kind enough to let them come in and aid them. Baekhyun took care of changing Yixing and doing all that stuff while Joonmyeon waited in the hall. About twenty minutes later they headed back to Joonmyeon’s and Minseok’s apartment. Before leaving, Yuri had also lent them her extra diaper bag just in case.

“Really? A sheep onesie was the only thing Yuri could borrow you guys?” Minseok asked he saw them walk back into the living room.

“He bit me whenever I tried to put him on a dress or something pink.”

Joonmyeon though it looked rather cute. Whenever Yixing walked, his little sheep ears and tail would swing around. It had made him the laugh the first time he saw it. The onesie also was convenient because that way Yixing had some protection on his feet. And Yixing had always liked sheep for some reason. Joonmyeon knew, if Yixing could, he would also have kept one as a pet.

“Watch him for a second while I go shower. This beard is itching like hell,” Baekhyun said.

Minseok left too, to continue cleaning his room, had he said.

So, when it was peace and quiet, Joonmyeon sat down on the floor and leaned against a couch. He let out a deep sigh while he closed his eyes. This morning had been a roller coaster of emotions, thoughts, and whatnot. As much as he thought baby Yixing looked adorable, he just wanted old Yixing back. Even if this baby technically was Yixing, at the same time he wasn’t the Yixing Joonmyeon knew. Of course, it wouldn’t feel the same. He missed the real Yixing, the Yixing that understood him, spoke to him, made him smile and laugh, and most importantly, was not a baby. Joonmyeon hoped that this odd, crazy problem would get solved. He couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without Yixing by his side. He just couldn’t. And he really regretted not having been braver before. What if everything might be lost forever?

Suddenly, a tiny hand touched his cheek. Joonmyeon opened his eyes and saw Yixing standing next to him, patting his cheek. This was the first time he had come so near to Yixing. Joonmyeon just wasn’t sure how to approach Yixing in this state and had been a bit scared to do so. Babies never seemed to like him anyway.

Yixing let out another one of his shrill noises.

“What’s wrong?” Joonmyeon asked.

Yixing said, or screamed, something again, pointing at Joonmyeon with his other tiny hand.

“Are you worried about me?”

Yixing nodded? Joonmyeon wasn’t sure if the nod had been real or his eyes tricked him. But could Yixing perhaps understand him? Did that mean the actual Yixing was trapped in his younger self’s body? No… Maybe babies were just this smart. After all, he remembered Baekhyun talking about how children developed communications skills early.

“It’s nothing. You wouldn’t understand it… I just miss someone.”

In response, Yixing leaned closer and enveloped his little arms around Joonmyeon’s head. The action caught Joonmyeon off guard. It seemed Yixing could somehow comprehend what he had said, otherwise why would Yixing be giving him, what appeared to be a comforting hug? Either Yixing was brilliant for a baby, or he was a twenty-three-year-old in a baby’s body… Still, Joonmyeon half-smiled at Yixing’s effort to cheer him up. He raised his hand, removed the hood and gently ruffled Yixing’s hair. “Thanks… Yixing.”

At his words, Yixing drew back his arms and smiled at him, his little dimples appearing on his cheeks. Somehow, Joonmyeon couldn’t shake away the thought that Yixing somehow understood him.

A while later, when Jongdae called them after feeding and giving T-rex its medicine, Joonmyeon and the rest left the apartment. They didn’t have a car seat for Yixing, but Baekhyun sat with him just in case something happened. Thankfully, nothing happened during the car ride.

Once again, in less than twenty-four hours, Joonmyeon found himself outside the fortune-teller’s house. Unlike last night, when he had been disbelieving about it, this time he firmly believed the woman would be able to bring back Yixing to normal. She had to do it! Yixing couldn’t stay like that forever, he was an adult, he had a life. Except it seemed to be one problem, to Joonmyeon’s incredible dismay. Nobody was answering the door, no matter how many times they rang the doorbell or knocked. Joonmyeon started to freak out.

“Where the hell is she?” Joonmyeon looked at Baekhyun, “Don’t tell me she ran away because I swear-”

“I’m gonna go call her!” Baekhyun said.

Joonmyeon sighed. He rubbed his temples. To calm down, he stared at Jongdae and Yixing who were playing together on the front lawn. Yixing laughed while he chased after Jongdae. It seemed Jongdae was pretending to be a lizard if that explained his loud reptile noises and walking on four legs. But Yixing was enjoying it. His little sheep tail swung around as he ran. His feet were getting dirty though, they’ll probably have to buy a new onesie to give back.

Minseok took a seat on the stairs and began staring at the exchange in front of them. He and Joonmyeon did that under silence until a troubled Baekhyun stood in front of them.

Baekhyun scratched his head, just like he always did whenever he was nervous. “So… I talked to her.”

“And?” Joonmyeon asked.

“I got good and bad news.”

“What?”

“The good news is she is out of town but will return next week.”

“Is that supposed to be good news? We have to wait seven days to turn Yixing back to normal?”

“No, no, not exactly… That’s the bad news. You see, she’s quite proud of her abilities and not exactly keen on helping someone who insulted her.”

“Huh?”

“Last night, she sensed how you doubted and mocked her skills. She saw how your fate would change and something would go wrong if she gave you the love potion.”

Joonmyeon raised one eyebrow. Was this going where he thought it was?

“So, she gave it to you and… It changed, just like she had predicted.”

“But it’s Yixing that has changed, not me!”

“Yes, yes, you see, she said Yixing’s future was closely related to yours, depending on what decisions you two made. So, basically, if your fate changed, his would also change as a result.”

Joonmyeon walked to stand in front of Baekhyun. Joonmyeon had that look on his face that he always did when he got mad. “Byun Baekhyun, are you telling me she did _this_ on purpose? She cursed Yixing on purpose?”

“She didn’t say curse per se… It was more to teach you a lesson to not disregard everything you can’t see. And! To help you consider things and be braver in your life and value every opportunity you have from now on. Isn’t that great life advice? Ha-ha.”

“Wow,” Minseok huffed while he shook his head. “Could this get any more Disney-movie-nightmare like?”

“Remember, I’m just the messenger, don’t blame the messenger,” Baekhyun said, covering his face with his arms.

Joonmyeon let go of Baekhyun’s shirt. As much as he wanted to scream and say lots of not-so-nice words, he didn’t want to scare little Yixing. Instead, he simply fell on his knees on the grass. Rather than putting the blame on Baekhyun, Joonmyeon accepted this was actually his fault. If he hadn’t come to this foolery last night, he wouldn’t have made that crazy woman angry, he wouldn’t have bought that damn love potion, and nothing of this would have happened. And now what? Was Yixing going to stay as a baby? Won’t he ever see the Yixing he once knew ever again? Was this the end for them? Of course, it was. There were twenty-two years of age difference between them. How could they possibly remain friends?

“Look Joonmyeon, maybe when she comes back if you apologize, she’ll help you out. She can’t be angry forever.”

“Has she ever changed her mind?”

Baekhyun shook his head.

“And what makes you think she’ll do it now?”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, only looked away anxious, and mumbling sorry.

“Why does Joon look so miserable?” Jongdae approached the three friends while he carried a tired Yixing on his arms. Baekhyun took the task of whispering everything that had occurred. Minseok remained silent, sitting on the stairs. And Joonmyeon kept regretting and cursing inwardly. But some part of him also thought, if there was a possibility this was a ‘surrealistic dream,’ now was a good damn time to wake up.

Later, Joonmyeon didn’t say anything when they got in the car and went to search somewhere to eat lunch at. Neither did someone pressure him into talking, actually nobody said anything at all. Each of them was caught in their own thoughts. Not even Yixing had screamed out loud like he had done earlier.

Jongdae drove them to a Chinese food restaurant. They sat down, ordered their foods, and once it had arrived, began eating under silence again. Baekhyun took charge of feeding Yixing his food.

Unexpectedly, it was Minseok who broke the table’s unbearable quietness. “What are we going to do? Yixing is a baby.” It seemed Minseok finally had accepted the crazy reality they were facing.

“I can take care of T-rex now that Yixing, well, can’t anymore.”

All eyes fell on Jongdae, whose cheeks were stuffed with noodles.

“What?” Baekhyun said.

Jongdae chewed and swallowed. “Somebody has to take care of the pet lizard… But, look at the bright side, Joonmyeon. In twenty years you’ll be forty-four and Yixing twenty-two. Who knows… He might need some economic support by then… You could step in and be, you know.” Jongdae wiggled his eyebrows.

Joonmyeon almost choked on his food. “Ew, Jongdae! What kind of bright side is that?”

“Hey, I’m just saying.”

“Ignoring Jongdae’s unhelpful comments, what are we going to do with him? Should we take Yixing back to his parents?” Baekhyun wondered. “Because otherwise, I can offer myself to raise him.”

“You?” Jongdae questioned.

“I have more qualifications than any of you guys.”

“Maybe in theory. But you can’t even keep your room clean and tidy for a day. And you’re constantly stressing out about college. How are you gonna handle everything with a baby on top of that?”

“I’ll figure it out, Jongdae. It’ll be an adventure for both of us. Right, Xing-Xing?”

“No, you’re not ready to be a single dad. I, on the other hand, had to help taking care of my younger siblings. I know what to do.”

Joonmyeon rolled his eyes. His friends could indeed be the most helpful at times. Just when Joonmyeon was about to put an end to Jongdae and Baekhyun’s fight over who would raise Yixing (which by the way Joonmyeon thought none of them were suited for), a voice spoke to them.

“Joonmyeon?” said that very familiar, melodious voice again. And yes, when Joonmyeon looked up from his seat, Yitian was standing beside their table, holding a bag in his hand and looking at him questioningly. Oh, how great, just what Joonmyeon needed.

“Hi,” Joonmyeon said, followed by the rest of the table members.

Yitian’s gaze shifted from Joonmyeon to everyone else as he greeted them, but it stopped on someone, on the little figure sitting in the baby chair, who was licking a dumpling. Slowly but surely Yitian must be falling into the realization of who it was, especially when he gasped, and his eyes widened. “Yixing?” he asked, trying to get closer to him and mumbling stuff in Chinese.

Swift as lighting, Jongdae stood up. He tiptoed so he could reach and put an arm around Yitian, hindering him from looking closely. “No, that’s Xingyi, Yixing’s cousin. Isn’t he cute? I need to talk to you, Yitian. Come with me,” Jongdae said, leading with him a confused Yitian towards the doors.

“For a guy that says some questionable stuff at times, his flirting can be really helpful,” Minseok said.

“I guess we should change his name. People might suspect if we keep calling him ‘Yixing,’” Baekhyun whispered. “Oh! I got some suggestions!”

“We’re not changing his name.” Minseok frowned. “Neither should any of you keep him.”

“Then, what do you suggest we do with him?”

“I think he should go back to his parents. They know how to raise him properly. They did it once before.”

“Oh, and how will we explain this?” Baekhyun said, motioning his hands in Yixing’s direction. “What if we scare them? What if they don’t believe us and think we’re crazy?”

“Well, they’ll be more scared when suddenly their twenty-three-year-old son cuts all communication with them.”

“Oh my god, guys,” Jongdae jumped into the conversation once he came back and sat down again. “I got Mister Perfect Face’s number!” He laughed, “Hah, in your face Baekhyun!”

“What?!” Minseok and Baekhyun said at the same time. Even Yixing had looked up to see Jongdae’s winning grin.

“Yes, look,” Jongdae said, holding up his phone and flaunting the contact name: ‘Yitian ❤️.’

“How?” Minseok asked.

“We just spoke. I underestimated him, Yitian actually understood what I said. And, in the end, I asked for it, and he said sure.”

“I can’t believe this,” Baekhyun said, “You’re dressed as a smelly egg, and he still gave you his number? Boy, something must be seriously wrong with that Yitian.”

Either it was a coincidence, or he had understood, but had Yixing laughed at what Baekhyun said? Maybe it was just a coincidence… Then Jongdae smacked Baekhyun’s head. At that Yixing definitely laughed again.

“Or he actually likes me? Besides, he could use someone with a Korean mother tongue. If you know what I mean.”

Now Baekhyun smacked the back of Jongdae's head. When the excitement and questions about Yitian giving Jongdae his number, finally died down, the other guys stared at Joonmyeon.

“So… You haven’t said anything yet, Joonmyeon. What do you think we should do?” Baekhyun asked.

Joonmyeon gulped down the last of his beverage. He reached his hand to grab a dumpling. Now that everything seemed lost, he didn’t have much choice. He knew what they had to do. He knew that Yixing had to go back home with the ones that would know how to take care of him. This was it. He looked at baby Yixing, who in response looked back at him back. Yixing lifted his little arms and tried to talk as if telling Joonmyeon to pick him up. So, this was their life now. Joonmyeon had lost everything that once had mattered to him.

“He should go back home with his real parents… And relive his life while we continue with ours.”

Baekhyun and Minseok nodded. Minseok put an arm around Joonmyeon’s shoulders while saying it was the right choice. Yixing began screaming louder, and Baekhyun tried to calm him down because the other guests started looking at them.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Jongdae said, “He’s about to cry while chewing a dumpling.”

“I’m not!” Joonmyeon said. Stupid, watery sensation in his eyes.

“I may know someone who can fix this.”

All eyes fell on Jongdae again, even Yixing stopped his cries and stared at him.

“What?” Joonmyeon muttered.

“Yes, I never mentioned this before because I didn’t want you guys to mock me like we do with Baek.”

Baekhyun huffed, crossing his arms.

“But do you remember this guy I used to date, Park Chanyeol?”

The tall guy with scary disproportionate ears, yes, they all nodded in agreement.

“As you know, Chanyeol had many hobbies. And one of them was…” Jongdae said, pausing to pour himself another glass of juice, and drank it.

“What?” everyone said in unison when Jongdae had finished but did not resume his words.

“You might not have believed me if I had said this earlier, but with everything happening right now, you will,” Jongdae said, adding yet another dramatic pause. This time he took time to grab a dumpling and stuffed it in his mouth.

“For god’s sake, just say it, Jongdae,” Joonmyeon complained.

Jongdae grinned. “He is a wizard, or actually, a wizard in training,” he spoke with his mouth full.

Baekhyun gasped with wonderment. Yixing clapped with his little baby hands. Minseok banged his head against the table. And Joonmyeon, Joonmyeon would accept any kind of ridiculous idea if it meant he would get old Yixing back.


	3. Chapter 3

“A wizard?” Baekhyun wondered, his eyes almost gleaming.

Jongdae nodded. Although maybe wizard wasn’t the right wording, Chanyeol didn’t have a magic wand that granted spells. But the man did spend some time stirring things in an old cauldron, reciting and reading books in a language Jongdae had no idea what it was, doing odd rituals, celebrating seasonal festivals, and much more.

“What kind of weirdos are you dating, Jongdae?” Minseok asked.

“Hey!” Jongdae said. “So, he’s passionate about his hobbies, what’s wrong with that?”

“A hobby is liking to collect anime figures as Yixing does. What you describe sounds like some kind of… Don’t tell us you got involved too? Did he try to bring you into it?”

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “No, Minseok! He didn’t. I once found him doing a ritual to the moon, and he told me about it. He’s just interested in old mythology and folklore and all that jazz. He’s not crazy, okay? He wasn’t trying to ‘bring me’ into anything. Chanyeol was a sweet, wonderful and caring boyfriend. And man, wasn’t he hot?”

“Why did you break up with him then?” Baekhyun asked.

“Well, he ended up becoming the new music theory professor at our university last year. So, it was against the rules to date him.”

“But wouldn’t he mind seeing you again?” Joonmyeon wondered.

“No, it’s fine! We broke up on good terms. We wished each other happy birthday and Merry Christmas… I wonder how he’s doing recently,” Jongdae said, caressing his chin. “Anyway, should we pay him a visit?” he asked once he stopped daydreaming.

Minseok, Baekhyun, and Yixing stared unsurely at Joonmyeon. There wasn’t any harm in trying. This might as well be their only chance to turn Yixing back to normal.

“Let’s go there.”

Baekhyun and Yixing smiled at the same time. Minseok shook his head.

Jongdae drove them to Chanyeol’s house. He lived in a two-story house in a suburban district. It was to be expected, after all, Chanyeol was eight years older than them (except for the current Yixing). Standing on the stairs in the front door, Jongdae rang the doorbell. A tall man with wavy chestnut hair, round glasses, and wearing a black track-suit received them.

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol said, showing him a blinding smile, “It’s been so long! What are you doing here? Dressed as a… Gudetama?” He chuckled, it was a deep laugh. When he noticed the other three men and the baby standing there, Chanyeol asked, “Who are they?”

Jongdae gave him a coquettish grin. “Aren’t you aging backward, Park Chanyeol? Tell me your secret. Just look at you, as handsome as always.”

“Oh, you’re flattering me,” Chanyeol said and actually blushed at that cheap trick of Jongdae.

A bit of flirting later and introductions of the other guys, Chanyeol let them come inside his house so they could explain their visit. They sat down in the living room while Chanyeol went to bring some tea and his homemade raisin cookies. Everyone’s attention got caught on the bowling trophies display. It was quite the collection. That was another one of Chanyeol’s hobbies, had Jongdae said. There were also guitars hanging on the walls and a piano near the french windows that faced the backyard. Seeing this living room, one might not suspect about Chanyeol’s ‘wizarding’ hobby.

Everyone drank tea and ate the raisin cookies while they explained why they had barged into his house on this quiet Sunday afternoon. Chanyeol wasn’t a skeptic regarding everything he heard, no matter how crazy it might have sounded to others. He had nodded and listened attentively to the explanations, even asked questions about it.

“Do you think you can help us?” Jongdae asked once everything was said.

Chanyeol looked pensive while he stared at baby Yixing. “You said this was one of Mrs. Kwon’s potions, right?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun confirmed.

“You do not want to mess with Mrs. Kwon,” Chanyeol mumbled.

Joonmyeon huffed. He sure knew now.

Chanyeol asked to see Yixing up close. Baekhyun sat Yixing on the coffee table, while Yixing chewed on one cookie. His little eyebrows were furrowed, almost evaluating Chanyeol back.

“I think he might be under an aging incantation, one of the common secondary effects of wrong potion intake. His body has aged backward but he’s still here with us,” Chanyeol said, ruffling Yixing’s hair and making the baby chuckle.

“What do you mean?” Jongdae asked.

“That he might have the body of a baby and therefore has to behave like one, but his mind is still intact, it’s the same. He can understand us. Right, Yixing?”

At that, baby Yixing nodded while everyone but Chanyeol gasped.

“I knew it, he’s trapped in there,” Joonmyeon said while looking worriedly at Yixing.

“Impossible,” Minseok chimed in. “That might have been pure luck. At this age, babies can nod and shake their heads. They’re learning to communicate. Isn’t that true Baekhyun?”

“Eh, that’s true but there’s only one way to find out.” Baekhyun leaned closer to exchange glances with Yixing. “Yixing,” he began, “Do you think Jongdae tricked Yitian into giving him his number?”

Everyone stared at baby Yixing, who instantly nodded yes. Baekhyun and Joonmyeon let out a laugh.

“He agrees. You can understand us, Xing-Xing!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

Jongdae scoffed and turned Yixing to face his way. “Yixing, do you think Baekhyun will ever get laid again?”

Yixing thought about it for a few seconds before clearly shrugging his shoulders. Again, Joonmyeon laughed while Jongdae grinned.

“Yeah, he really does, Baek,” Jongdae said.

“Okay, let’s see here,” Minseok spoke this time. “Yixing, when is your birthday?”

“He can’t talk yet, he’s not gonna answer you, dummy,” Baekhyun said.

“If his mind is still there he must know how to talk, doesn’t he?”

“But you heard what Professor Park said, his body is the one of a one-year-old baby. He hasn’t learned how to talk clearly yet, but they can still think. Of course-”

Yixing let out an impatient scream, gathering everyone’s attention. With everyone’s eyes on him, his little chubby fingers made a motion, first showing ten and later seven fingers.

“October seventh!” Jongdae shouted. “Guys, if we don’t manage to change him back, then he could be our genius baby. Just imagine how shocked the world would be. Yixing the-”

“Jongdae!” Minseok, Baekhyun, and Joonmyeon said in unison.

“Don’t even think that. We’re changing Yixing back… Right, Professor Park?” Joonmyeon asked.

Chanyeol pushed his frames back while he nodded. “Oh, yes. Every love potion has an antidote. We just need to know the ingredients of the original potion and use the opposites one. And you’re lucky, I’m quite good at tracing potion’s ingredients. Do you have it with you?”

“No, it’s at home. But we can-” Joonmyeon was interrupted by Minseok.

“Actually, to avoid more trouble, I threw it down the sink this morning. Sorry.”

Baekhyun, Jongdae, Joonmyeon and even baby Yixing face-palmed themselves at the same time, sighing. How were they going to solve the case now? Wait until the witch came back and somehow buy another one? How great!

Unexpectedly, Chanyeol stood up from the couch and ran toward the hallway. Moments later he returned holding a big leather book. His eyes firmly stared at it while he flipped through the pages. It was written in strange gothic letters, definitely not a comprehensible language. “Here!” Chanyeol said, “We can try an aging potion. This is great. I have all the right ingredients, and… Oh.”

“What?” everyone asked, seeing how Chanyeol’s grin disappeared.

“Well, apparently it’s much trickier than any other potion I’ve ever made. It requires extreme accuracy of the amount of each ingredient to reach the desired age. Otherwise, if I have one ingredient too much or too little, Yixing could get younger or older than what I expected.”

“How old?” Baekhyun asked.

“As far as his body can take it.”

“And young?”

“As far back as to the smallest origin.”

“And what’s that?” Jongdae asked this time.

“A zygote… A fertilized cell.”

“You’re saying he could die either way?” Minseok said and couldn’t help the quiver in his voice.

Chanyeol nodded. Yixing let out a shriek, shaking his little head.

“That’s a possibility. But…”

“Then we’re not risking Yixing’s life,” Joonmyeon said firmly. He preferred to keep Yixing as a baby and let him age again than to gamble his life. Anything involving the risk of death should be disregarded immediately.

Yixing’s eyes stared at Joonmyeon. They were filled with dread and worry, but Joonmyeon reached his hand forward and held one of the tiny baby hands in his. He could feel Yixing grabbing his fingers. And Joonmyeon did his best to try to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Xing, but this is for the best,” Joonmyeon muttered in disappointment. In response, Yixing nodded, smiling meekly and let out another baby noise as if saying he understood it.

Baekhyun stood up and picked up Yixing from the table, along with the diaper bag from the floor. “I guess this means we should go.”

Joonmyeon followed suit and was ready to thank Chanyeol for his help when the taller man dropped the book on the floor and ran to the hallway yet again. In the meantime, Minseok took the liberty to put away the cups, plates, spoons, and teapot, leaving the coffee table clean and tidy (as he always did when he visited someone). The group walked to the hall to put on their shoes. Just as Jongdae was ready to shout for Chanyeol, the tall man appeared again.

“Guys!” Chanyeol gasped for air, “I-I got it.”

“What?” Jongdae said.

“An age-switch potion! We can swap his age back to twenty-three.”

Chanyeol began explaining this new incantation’s effect. Apparently, if two subjects drank the age-switch potion at the same time, they would exchange their ages. It didn’t require any utterly exact amount of ingredients, but it did need a drop of blood from the two involved.

“Then, if I give a drop of my blood, Yixing will turn back to normal?” Joonmyeon asked, his hope resurfacing.

“Not exactly. That means you’ll become a baby instead, while Yixing ages forward again.”

“So, we’re back to square one,” Minseok said, sighing.

“Not so fast, Min. I’ve always thought I’ll live longer than you guys. And diapers and being fed again doesn’t sound all that bad,” Jongdae commented.

“We’re not turning you into a baby, Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, Yixing nodding along.

“But what else are we-”

“We can use any other living being’s blood. Although they age differently than us, we just need to find one whose age equals twenty-three in human years. I have an invasion of geckos in my garden, result of a ritual offering gone wrong, it’s a long story. The point is, it might be a gamble, but maybe one of them could work.”

“No, there’s no need. We can use T-rex!” Jongdae had thought fast and said it. “Yixing has a pet lizard, a bearded dragon. He’s seven years old.”

After doing some quick math in his head, Chanyeol exclaimed, “That equals twenty-one in human years! He’ll be two years younger, but that’s something, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jongdae said with a grin, looking up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes while they high-fived each other, but ended up holding hands. When their spellbound eyes finally looked away from one another, realizing that the rest had been staring at them, Chanyeol cleared his throat and talked again.

“That means we’ll have to transfers the age T-rex has lived to Yixing and Yixing’s age to T-rex. So, T-rex is going to be around… Five months old. Is that okay?”

“I don’t think Yixing would mind if T-rex stays around a little longer, right Xing?” Joonmyeon said.

Baby Yixing grinned and clapped before shaking his head.

“I’ll go and bring T-rex,” Minseok suggested. Jongdae tossed at him Yixing’s apartment keys before he left.

“Great!” Chanyeol said, “Then you guys come in again. Let’s get ready to make this potion.” When everyone had taken off their shoes, he said, “Follow me to the backyard, just watch out for the geckos. I’ve been looking for a spell to drive them away but haven’t had much luck yet.”

Joonmyeon thought he had seen the strangest things thanks to Baekhyun’s and Yixing’s slight eccentricity, but boy wasn’t he wrong. While he and Baekhyun (and baby Yixing who had fallen asleep in Baekhyun’s lap) sat on the porch swing, they saw how Jongdae and Chanyeol assembled everything together. Jongdae seemed to be familiar with the whole routine, given that Chanyeol didn’t say many instructions.

Chanyeol’s backyard had a variety of plants, bushes, and flowers. Amid the green nature weren’t only small geckos crawling here and there, but there was also a stone wood fire pit and a stone table in which they had put all the ingredients. Chanyeol lit a fire and set a cauldron on a stand. He poured water on it. Then, he read his book while he and Jongdae used mortars and pestles to smash some leaves, flower petals, and other things Baekhyun and Joonmyeon had no idea what they were. One by one, they threw in the smashed ingredients on the cauldron, along with other mysterious colored liquids and stuff. The color of the smoke had changed every time they had put in something new, until only a green smoke stemmed from the cauldron, with caught both Joonmyeon’s and Baekhyun’s attention. Chanyeol used a big spoon to stir everything up.

Minseok arrived shortly after Chanyeol had said they needed to wait for the potion to boil a couple hours. He had brought T-rex in a container. Yixing had woken up by then from his nap and had giggled and smiled happily at seeing the pet lizard.

In the meantime, Chanyeol suggested they started making dinner. By the time the potion would be done, it would be late at night. Although they had felt they were overstepping Chanyeol’s hospitality (except Jongdae who said it was totally fine), eventually they all agreed to it. Chanyeol took out his grill and said why not have a barbecue? The cauldron needed to be frequently stirred, so it was helpful to be in the garden. Minseok took the task of preparing rice, drinks, and salads in the kitchen while the others stayed outside.

Baekhyun and Yixing explored the garden. Joonmyeon and Jongdae stayed near the grill, looking after the food.

“Is it just me, or does Chanyeol look hot while stirring that cauldron?” Jongdae asked, looking at the tall man standing in the yard.

“Didn’t you just get Yitian’s number?”

“A man’s gotta have options. Besides, seeing Chanyeol today has brought back fond memories…” Jongdae sighed.

Just when Joonmyeon was about to answer, a crying child caught his attention. He looked to the side and saw Baekhyun carrying a crying Yixing in his arms.

“What happened?” Joonmyeon asked concerned.

“He was chasing a gecko but fell and scratched his face on the rose bushes,” Baekhyun explained, “There, there, Xing-Xing, it’ll pass,” he cooed.

Joonmyeon took a closer look and indeed, there were some scratches on Yixing’s cheeks, not too deep, but enough to cause him pain. His sheep onesie was all dirtied, undoubtedly not as white as this morning.

“Oon,” Yixing made a perceptible sound amid his hiccups. His cries had stopped, but his flushed cheeks and teary eyes were still there.

“What?” Baekhyun said.

“Ooon,” Yixing said again.

“Ooon? What’s what?” Jongdae wondered.

“I think he’s saying-”

“Jooon!” Yixing said at last.

“Oh! He said your name. He wants to go with you,” Baekhyun said and held Yixing toward Joonmyeon.

Joonmyeon was unsure at first, not quite having experience dealing with children prior, but seeing how Yixing held out his arms toward him and that he had said his name, Joonmyeon gave up. After tossing the cooking tweezers to Jongdae, he carried Yixing in his arms, giving him a hug.

“It’s okay, Yixing. We’re gonna change you back, you’ll see,” he told the little baby while patting his hair.

Yixing faintly nodded.

Eventually, the day went forward, and the night arrived. The group shared their meal sitting on the porch swing or the steps while they waited for the potion to keep boiling. The green smoke shone in the middle of the lawn, but Chanyeol also had solar powered yard lights that lightened the rest of the area.

Chanyeol, who was also a board game enthusiasm, brought forward his collection after dinner. That was how they spent the waiting time, playing board games and sharing one or another story. Yixing had fallen asleep again after Baekhyun had bathed him and now was only clad in a diaper, covered with a cozy blanket. But Baekhyun didn’t mind having Yixing sleeping in his arms, and actually considered the baby to be his lucky charm since he had been on a winning streak (for the first time ever).

Until finally, after having boiled the required five hours, Chanyeol announced it was ready. Yixing wasn’t pleased to be woken up, but he calmed down after hearing it was time.

“You guys go bring T-rex,” Chanyeol said to Jongdae and Minseok, “And you’ll need to lose the diapers. But you can use my robe to cover yourself when your body goes back to normal.”

Yixing nodded at that. Baekhyun took the robe with him and Yixing into the living room. The robe seemed to be Harry Potter themed most likely part of a costume, but it did cover the whole body. Baekhyun had to keep a hand around Yixing so it wouldn’t fall off.

They gathered around the stone table in the yard. Jongdae held T-rex in his hands, Minseok stood next to him. Chanyeol poured the boiling potion into two smaller cauldrons the size of his hand.

“We have to pour their blood at the same time, and they’ll have to drink it at the same time.”

“Isn’t that boiling hot? They’re going to burn themselves!” Joonmyeon said.

“No, the moment their blood mixes with the potion, the smoke will turn blue along with the potion, and it’ll be cold.”

Joonmyeon was unsure of it but decided to trust him and nodded nonetheless.

Chanyeol handed Jongdae a surgeon’s knife and a pipette, instructing him and Minseok to hold T-rex above the small cauldron and only make one tiny incision on him. Yixing let out a noise of complaint at that, worrying about his pet lizard. But Minseok and Jongdae reassured him they won’t harm him too much.

Then, Chanyeol went to stand in front of Yixing, who was sitting on the stone table. “I’m gonna prick your finger with this needle, okay Yixing?”

Yixing had never been a fan of needles, Joonmyeon knew. So, he tried to comfort him and patted his little back. He smiled at the baby. Yixing looked up at him and returned the gesture, his mini dimples showing. Chanyeol folded the robe’s sleeves until Yixing’s little hand appeared. Chanyeol grabbed the little hand and put it above the other cauldron.

When everyone was ready into position, Chanyeol started the counting. “One. Two. Three!”

Joonmyeon gasped as his eyes saw how the small cauldrons actually turned blue at the same time, the smoke a blue colored fog now.

Chanyeol took his pipette and suctioned some of the liquid. This potion had a sapphire blue color like a gemstone. Chanyeol poured some drops into his hand, and no, he didn’t burn himself. He smiled. “The potion making was a success.”

Baekhyun clapped. Baby Yixing let out a happy laugh. Jongdae grinned. Minseok was putting a bandage against T-rex’s cut but seemed pleased. And Joonmyeon found himself smiling and feeling hopeful that his Yixing would finally return.

“It’s better if you’re sitting down during the metamorphosis,” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun helped Yixing sit on the grass. Chanyeol filled the pipette again, telling Jongdae to fill his too. One drop, that’s all they needed to drink.

“Your bones and muscles are going to expand, so your body will grow. I’m not gonna lie, it stood it’ll be painful, really painful, but it won’t last more than ten seconds. Are you ready?”

Determinedly, baby Yixing nodded. He opened his mouth so Chanyeol could use the pipette to drip the potion.

Minseok held T-rex’s jaw open, and Jongdae held their pipette on top.

Joonmyeon felt his heart almost jump out of his chest while he saw Chanyeol making the countdown again.

One.

Two.

Three.

A white light shone from Yixing and T-rex. It was so strong everyone had to close their eyes. He could hear Yixing’s voice screaming in pain. Joonmyeon counted the seconds in his head. Eight. That was how long it took for the lights to die out and nothing could be heard.

When Joonmyeon opened his eyes again, he saw a body lying on the grass. He instantly went there… And yes, it was Yixing’s old body! The same height, the same hair, the same facial structures, although the scratches hadn’t been completely removed. Unbelievable, it had worked. Joonmyeon smiled so widely his cheeks almost hurt. His hand ran through Yixing’s silky hair while his other hand held Yixing’s own hand. He leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re back, my old Yixing,” he whispered.

Chanyeol kneeled next to Yixing’s body and felt his wrist. “His pulse is normal. We should wake him up to see how he’s feeling.”

Joonmyeon nodded. He couldn’t wait until he could hear that beautiful voice of Yixing, that laugh. And he wouldn’t waste time anymore. He’ll tell Yixing all his feelings. Let him know how much he loved him and never wanted to lose him again.

Chanyeol started shaking Yixing’s body and calling his name, but he wouldn’t wake up. In the end, he grabbed a water bottle and threw water on his face. Yixing’s eyes immediately opened while he gasped loudly for air.

“Yixing? How are you?” Joonmyeon asked, squeezing his hand.

Yixing looked at Joonmyeon for one second before staring everywhere with open eyes. He didn’t say anything but withdrew his hand from Joonmyeon’s grasp.

“Yixing?” Chanyeol tried this time.

Again, Yixing remained quiet. But he clumsily turned to lay on his belly. He struggled but managed to free his hands out the robe. Then, Yixing tried to stand on all fours but ended up falling down and hitting the grass.

“Yixing?!” Joonmyeon said, drawing closer to him. But all he got in response was a screech.

Yixing continued trying to stand on all fours until he managed. Slowly, he crawled around and sniffed the grass, looking around the backyard and some of the geckos.

“What the hell happened? Why is he acting like that?” Joonmyeon turned around.

Chanyeol stared wide-eyed at Yixing.

“He’s acting like a… Lizard,” Jongdae muttered.

Baekhyun gasped. “Could it be-”

“No, no, no,” Chanyeol spoke at last, “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” He went for his book and read carefully again and again.

But as Joonmyeon looked at Yixing crawling on the lawn, he agreed with Jongdae’s observation. Yixing was behaving like a freaking lizard. Crawling on all fours. Looking around. Exchanging glances with some of the geckos. Sometimes Yixing had stopped on the same position, not moving one bit, and stared into oblivion.

“Oh, damn it,” Chanyeol cursed. His expression was troubled as he looked at Yixing.

“What happened?” Jongdae asked.

“It’s the pages. They were stuck together. I missed the final command. If the potion isn’t taken during the full moon, their minds will follow the swap too.”

And sure enough, when everyone looked at the starry night sky, not a single trace of the moon could be seen.

“So, you’re saying that...” Jongdae trailed off.

“Yes, not only have T-rex and Yixing swap ages,” Chanyeol sighed, looking down, “But also bodies.”

“Holy moly,” Minseok said, “Yixing!” He held forward the sleeping bearded dragon for everyone to see.

Joonmyeon covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated groan.


	4. Chapter 4

“Okay, okay, I can fix this,” Chanyeol repeated, pacing around the yard and rubbing his temple with his fingers.

“Last time you said so, Professor, look what happened…” Minseok muttered, nodding his head at Yixing’s body on the grass (who tried to communicate with or rivalize with a gecko) and then at the bearded dragon.

Chanyeol continued pacing around while thinking. Jongdae walked next to him, talking to him.

Joonmyeon stopped groaning in his hands and sighed. He went to Minseok and saw the bearded dragon he was holding. T-rex’s body has shrunk considerably and was around 20 centimeters long. Lizard Yixing was awake now, one of those huge black pupils looked his way.

“Yixing?” Joonmyeon asked.

Yixing didn’t nod or did anything only continued staring at him.

“He can’t understand us anymore, Professor Park?” Baekhyun asked.

“Because he is a lizard. All his human knowledge is still there, but it’s useless to apply in this new physiology because there are restraints. Lizards can’t hear as well as we do, even if they did, they mostly rely on their other senses to communicate,” he explained.

“Then, any idea on how to fix this?” Minseok wondered.

Chanyeol came to a halt. “I… Don’t know!” he sighed in frustration, “This has never happened before. I-I have to search in my library. I’ll be back. And don’t let him,” he said, pointing at lizard Yixing, “Wander off in the yard. We might not find him until tomorrow morning if he runs away to explore it,” With that said, Chanyeol made his way inside the house.

“Wow, guys isn’t this crazy? This morning Yixing wakes up as a baby and now he’s a lizard?” Jongdae said. He patted lizard Yixing’s head, “You’ve been through a lot, little guy. Haven’t you?” he let out a chuckle.

Joonmyeon grabbed Jongdae’s onesie and brought him forward until they stood face to face. “Jongdae, you’re gonna go back inside and make sure that giant does anything he can to solve this mess!”

“Jeez, relax Joonmyeon. Frowning gives you wrinkles.” Jongdae freed himself from Joonmyeon’s grasp. “And stop worrying, Chanyeol will solve this, you’ll see.” Jongdae walked back to the house while muttering a bunch of stuff about his friends not understanding him.

“So… What are we going to do now?” Minseok asked.

There wasn’t much they could do except wait for Chanyeol to come up with a solution. It would be wise to keep an eye on Yixing’s body, given that T-rex seemed to like roaming around everywhere in the yard with his new physiology. Baekhyun offered to make sure the pet lizard wouldn’t hurt Yixing’s body. Meanwhile, Joonmyeon and Minseok walked into the living room, closing the French doors to make sure Yixing wouldn’t escape in his miniature form. They let lizard Yixing rest on the carpeted floor, only to see him crawling around everywhere, every corner of Chanyeol’s living room. Tired of chasing Yixing around, they grabbed some mustard greens from Chanyeol’s fridge and decided to distract Yixing by feeding him some. Lizard Yixing stopped his movements and curbed his tail when he saw the bowl of greens in front of him.

Minseok closed his eyes for a bit and relaxed on the couch. Joonmyeon laid on his belly, resting his jaw on top of his hands in the carpet, while he saw lizard Yixing devouring the green leaves. Regardless of what Chanyeol had said, Joonmyeon continued talking to Yixing. He didn’t want Yixing to feel all alone trapped inside the pet lizard’s body. And perhaps Yixing did hear him because it seemed they were having eye contact: one of Yixing’s eye might have been looking at him. At some point, Joonmyeon even reached a hand to tap him gently on the head and the back. In response, lizard Yixing lifted his front leg and moved it forward in a circular motion. But that behavior, arm-waving, was typical of bearded dragons. Joonmyeon knew that because Yixing had told him about it before, and he had seen T-rex doing it. Still, Joonmyeon liked to believe that although they couldn’t understand each other, it was a sign Yixing was communicating back to him.

“Well, you’ve always said you wished to know how it felt like to be a T-rex… I guess this is the closest you’ll come.”

Yixing reached forward to eat the last green leaf.

Baekhyun walked inside just then, throwing himself to rest on one of the armchairs.

“Where’s T-rex? Or Yixing’s body?” Joonmyeon asked.

“He’s sleeping under the porch swing. Boy, that lizard’s energetic. Yixing’s forearms, elbows, and legs are gonna hurt like hell tomorrow.”

At that Yixing raised his little head, looking at Baekhyun’s way.

“Has Professor Park come out?”

“No,” Minseok said this time.

“What’s taking them so long?” Baekhyun asked.

“No idea,” Joonmyeon replied.

Baekhyun stood up. “Let’s go see,” he suggested. He went forward to pull Minseok out of the couch. Reluctantly, Minseok let him.

Joonmyeon gently grabbed lizard Yixing in his hand, just like real Yixing had thought him long ago with T-rex. Although the little feet tickled him, Yixing rested calmly in his palms, a sign he wasn’t nervous or afraid of being held this way.

The three friends made their way through the hall. It seemed Chanyeol also had a fascination with minimalistic art if that could explain all the strange paintings hanging on the walls. After searching in the wrong rooms, they reached the desired one.

Baekhyun opened the door just as he said, “Professor Park-”

He got interrupted by his scream. Actually, everyone screamed their lungs out while they saw the scene happening before them. Baekhyun even raised his hand to cover lizard Yixing’s eyes.

“Hey close the door, will ya?” Jongdae said, staring their way with a menacing look.

Amid the screams, Minseok managed to shut the door. They all ran away through the hall back into the living room and then the kitchen.

Minseok bent down to wash his face on the sink. “That’s it, I’ve seen it all now,” he said while rubbing his eyes with the water.

“Poor thing, you’re way too young to be seeing that,” Baekhyun talked to lizard Yixing in Joonmyeon’s hands. He lightly patted the lizard’s head.

“I think we’re all way too young to see the image of Jongdae and Chanyeol fucking against the desk. I need to get it bleached out from my eyes,” Minseok complained, still rubbing his eyes with water.

“Oh, my god. This is worse than that time I walked into Baekhyun having a fun time with his se-”

“HEY! You promised not to tell anyone, Joonmyeon!” Baekhyun said horrified and putting a hand on Joonmyeon’s lips.

Once Minseok stopped washing his face, they all sat down on the same couch. Nobody said anything about the earlier happenings anymore but tried to distract themselves from it. Lizard Yixing found it comforting on Joonmyeon’s hands and settle for laying there, for the time being, he closed his eyes and slept there. His human body also continued snoozing out on the porch.

Chanyeol and Jongdae appeared from the hallway a while later. Chanyeol could barely meet them in the eyes. Jongdae looked at them while shaking his head.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that,” Chanyeol said, his cheeks turning red and voice wavering, “I should have locked the door. So sorry.”

“Well, I’m not. These guys don’t know anything about privacy. Just walking into people’s rooms like that, it was bound to happen.” Jongdae threw himself on the armchair Baekhyun had sat on earlier.

Chanyeol continued having his head facing down and red cheeks when he said, “Well, I’m gonna go back to read some more. I’ll let you know what we can do soon.” He quickly walked back to his library.

Everyone glared at Jongdae with furrowed eyebrows.

“What?” Jongdae said at last.

“When I said to do everything you can, I didn’t mean that,” Joonmyeon said.

“What? Never seen two people doing it? Besides, this teaches you guys a lesson.” Jongdae pointed at them, “Always knock before walking into a room.”

“Jongdae!” they all replied.

“I can’t believe you only distracted him rather than help to solve this,” Minseok asked, crossing his arms.

“No, I did help him. I helped him find the books he wanted. It wasn’t easy, I don’t understand the language and all that. But Chanyeol remembered what symbols were on the first pages, so I just had to search the right ones.”

“Then, what happened? How did you go from doing that to doing _that_?”

“I’m just _that_ good, my dear, Baek,” Jongdae smirked. “But Chanyeol was going nowhere with his research. Apparently, the quickest solutions required some kind of offering or sacrifice or something like that, but he couldn’t find any possible solution. Then, he got all sad and miserable about being a failed wizard, and whatnot. I just wanted to comfort him.”

“With that?” Baekhyun asked.

“One thing led to another, you know the drill… Or actually, _you_ don’t.”

Baekhyun threw one of the cushions on Jongdae’s face.

“So, you’re saying it’s been hours, and he’s got nothing?” Joonmyeon asked this time, doing his best to not put lizard Yixing down, follow Baekhyun and throw the other cushion at Jongdae.

Jongdae sighed. “It’s more complicated now, apparently. He can’t simply ask his superiors for help. This is the third time he screws up. He could get banished from practicing his wizarding skills. And he just recently became one.”

“Of all the wizards out there, you just had to go out with this one,” Baekhyun said, burying his face in his hands.

“He’ll solve this, I know he will.”

“When?”

“In a couple days… Hopefully.”

Joonmyeon even regretted asking. He knew that was what Jongdae was going to say. This had gone from bad to worse. At least as a baby, Yixing had been easy to take care of and communicate with. Like this… Who knew what could happen to both the pet lizard and the human. Joonmyeon stood up from the couch. As much as he wanted to vent out his anger at them, he knew this couldn’t be Chanyeol or Jongdae’s fault. It had all begun with him. This was his fault.

He opened the French doors and walked into the porch. The cold wind greeted him. He saw feet sticking out under the porch swing. He sat down on the porch swing. Lizard Yixing had woken up again, probably by the loudness of their conversation. Joonmyeon held him with one hand and caressed Yixing with the other. Yixing’s pupil looked his way.

“Hi Xing,” Joonmyeon said.

“I’m so sorry things turned out this way. It’s my fault, you know? I made that witch angry, and she cursed us both. Then you became a baby and now a lizard.” He sighed. “If I hadn’t been so dumb this might have never happened. Sorry.”

“I’m always so dumb. All this time I’ve been a coward trying to ‘seduce’ you and wait for you to say something when I should have faced my fears and let you know everything myself.”

“You remember that time we cooked dinner for charades night with the guys?” Joonmyeon smiled fondly. “I said I liked carrots a lot, and when I was a kid, my mom used to tease me saying I was like a small bunny. It didn’t help she bought me that onesie. And you laughed at it but agreed. You also said you’ll give me a truck full of carrots. We laughed together at your silly idea. And I thought that was it, a joke.”

Joonmyeon laughed warmheartedly while continued to remember his time with Yixing.

“But then you appeared at my door the next day with that wheelbarrow filled with these huge carrots. It wasn’t a truck, you said, but hoped it was enough. It was more than enough. We ate carrots with every dish that week, and I never had so much carrot cake in my life.”

“I was so happy. Really happy, Xing. And I jumped to hug you while I thanked you over and over. But I also felt this urge to kiss you while I held you. And while I imagined that thought, it didn’t feel weird. It felt right. Being with you like that. I guess that’s when I knew you no longer were my friend, but I wanted us to be something else, just like you had wished long ago.”

He let out another sigh.

“I was just a coward and didn’t want to face you saying no. It was stupid. I should have told you as soon as I knew, rather than let you confess again. How could I ever think of letting you confess after I rejected you? I wish I had dared to tell you my feelings when we’re the same age when you were human and not just a lizard… I’m sorry for being this late.”

Joonmyeon felt his cheeks getting damp from the few tears falling, thinking that if Chanyeol didn’t solve this, he might never have his Yixing back. He leaned down do gently kiss the bearded dragon’s head.

“I love you, Xing. I love all of you, with your funny quirks, blunt honesty, strange sides and ideas, and just everything. I love you my beautiful, Yixing.”

When Joonmyeon stared at lizard Yixing again, he saw a tear running down one eye. He almost believed Yixing had heard him and cried with him. But some reptiles often let out tears to clean out and protect their eyes. It didn’t mean lizard Yixing was sharing his pain and uncertainty regarding this matter. Joonmyeon still appreciated the timing.

Suddenly the porch swing began shaking. Joonmyeon looked around thinking it was a strong wind, but the geckos on the grass were crawling around desperately, going away to hide. The bug zapper hanging from the ceiling started to shake, along with the solar lamps. Joonmyeon turned to see the French windows. Everything inside the house was trembling too, getting quicker and quicker. He saw Minseok shouting and motioning for him to get inside. Joonmyeon held lizard Yixing tighter and thought of how to bring inside Yixing’s body too. He couldn’t leave it there. But just as Joonmyeon stood up, he fell on his back, and everything turned black.

Until he felt like floating through a strange tunnel where visions, multicolored lights, and patterns flashed before his eyes. Then a white light came into his view.

Joonmyeon’s eyes opened slowly. Blinking, he tried to focus his vision. A white ceiling, that was what the first thing he could distinguish. He sensed a cold wooden floor against his limbs. Looking at his body, he recognized the red basketball uniform. That was when he realized it. Joonmyeon widened his eyes while he sat up. The bed, the posters, the wardrobes, the sunlight entering through the window, this was his room. He was back in his room!

Joonmyeon stood up. He sprinted through his apartment until he reached the kitchen just in time to see Yixing holding a glass with a red liquid inside.

“No, Yixing! Don’t drink that!” he screamed while he jumped forward to toss away the glass from Yixing’s hand. The glass shattered against the kitchen floor some steps away from them.

Perplexed, Yixing asked, “Joon? What’s the matter?”

“That’s cursed!”

“Your cranberry juice is cursed?” Yixing raised an eyebrow.

Oh. There was a bottle of cranberry juice standing on the counter Joonmyeon hadn’t noted at first. His cheeks turned warm. But rather than answering the question, Joonmyeon embraced Yixing in a hug just like he had wanted to do all this time. Fortunately, Yixing raised his arms to hold him back while Joonmyeon rested his chin on Yixing’s shoulder.

“My old Yixing, you’re back,” Joonmyeon muttered.

“I know we joke about me thinking like an eighty-year-old sometimes, but am I really that old? I’m younger than you… And where did I go?”

Joonmyeon let out a laugh. How he had missed this.

“You don’t remember anything?”

Yixing shook his head. “No?”

He’ll explain his crazy experience later. Right now, Joonmyeon backed away until he could see Yixing’s face, but they still didn’t break their hold.

“I love you, Yixing. And not as a friend, but as something much more, as a lover who loves the love of his life. I fell in love with you long ago. Who wouldn’t? Your wonderful, beautiful, so honestly funny and caring, and I love you. But I waited for you to say something first just, so I couldn’t hear you reject me. I was such a wuss, as Baek said it. But I’m not anymore. I just want you to know that I love you so much and I want us to date, or better yet, be boyfriends for a long time because I’ve seen a life without you and it’s awful. But if you happen to have hit it off with Yitian last night and want to date him instead… That’s okay. I lost my chance. I’ll eventually understand and try cope with it.”

Yixing mouth went from agape to forming a smile and letting out a laugh. Joonmyeon’s heart fluttered while he waited for the frightening response.

“While Yitian and I did have fun and talked a lot, in the end, he asked for your number.”

“What?” Joonmyeon said, now his face turned with confusion.

“Yeah, just before he left the car.”

Yitian’s smile flashed through Joonmyeon’s head along with Yixing skipping the translation. “Did you give it to him?”

Yixing smiled as a kid getting caught eating in the middle of mischief. “I might have said you were my boyfriend.”

Joonmyeon couldn’t help grin.

“I was never truly over you, Joon… And the thought of you and Yitian together just made me so jealous.”

Joonmyeon could certainly relate to that.

“And then you say I could crash on your bed, that was too much. I couldn’t sleep at all because of the impure thoughts of us that my mind came up with.” Yixing blushed at his words, making Joonmyeon caress his cheek.

“But you already heard my confession once, and it still stands, everything I said then. Of course, I’ll be your boyfriend… I love you too my bunny, Joon.”

Smiling, Joonmyeon waited no more to lean in and catch those lips in a kiss. He had been truly a coward for not saying this earlier when the results would have been this. This was everything. A soft, innocent touch bursting with the elation of being in each other’s arms, of conveying their feelings at last.

Yixing was his; he was Yixing’s.

In the aftermath of their kiss, they pressed their foreheads together, keeping their bodies molded in that embrace.

“Will you tell me now why you tossed away my cranberry juice?”

Joonmyeon grinned. He backed away to see Yixing’s face up close and explain to him his crazy dreams. Just then something caught his attention. How hadn’t he noticed this before? Yixing cheeks had tiny scratches scattered here and there just like… Joonmyeon looked into his now boyfriend’s eyes.

“Yixing, what happened to your face?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, folks.
> 
> Your kudos have been very appreciated~ Thanks!


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